Device with collapsible arbor for forming partially formed part into boxlike article



July 15, 1958 R. H. BLACK ETAL 2,843,175

x mvrc WITH coLLAPsIBLE ARBoR FOR FORMING PARTIALLY vFORMED PART INTO BOX-LIKE ARTICLE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 24, 1955 m Mw ATTJRNFY R. H. BLACK ETAL DEVICE WITH COLLAPSIBLE ARBOR FOR FO 2,843,1 75 RMING PARTIALLY ARTICLE July 15, 1958 K' FORMED PART INTO BOX-LIKE 24, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb A r ron/vit ETAL 2,843,175 FOR FORMING PARTIALLY IKE ARTICLE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 H. BLACK sIBLE ARBoR July 15, 195s n. DEVICE WITH COLLAP f FORMED PART INTO BOX-L Filed Feb. 24, 1955 Unite DEVICE WITH CLLAPSl-BLE ARBOR FOR FORM- ING PARTIALLY FCRMED PART INTO BOX- LIKE ARTHClLlE Application February 24, 1955, Serial No. 490,212

Ciaims. (Cl. 153-25) This invention relates to a device with collapsible arbor for forming articles and more particularly to a forming die having a collapsible arbor around which a U-shaped article may be bent into a box section and readily removed therefrom.

In the manufacture of sheet metal articles such as boxes or receptacles of rectangular cross section in which a sheet of metal is formed into a U-shaped part and the parallel side walls thereof are bent around a rectangular arbor into a box section, in many instances the article, after being bent around the arbor, adheres thereto with such great frictional force that it is extremely ditiicult to remove the article from the arbor.

An object of the invention is to provide a device having a collapsible arbor around which a partially formed part may be bent into a box section and readily removed therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide a forming die including a plural part collapsible arbor for forming rectangular box-like articles.

A device illustrating certain features of the invention may include a base secured to a stationary platen of a press and a plurality of movable arbor sections mounted on the base for pivotal movement from a novel collapsed position to an expanded position to provide a form of predetermined cross-section about which the parallel side walls of a U-shaped sheet metal part are adapted to be bent into a box section. A holder slidably mounted on the base is adapted to receive the U-shaped part and move it into a predetermined position about the arbor sections in their collapsed position, after which the arbor sections are moved to expanded position into engagement with the side walls of the part by cams on an actuating member which is secured to a ram of the press for vertical reciprocation therewith. Immediately after the movement of the arbor sections to expanded position which V occurs during the first portion of the downward movement of the ram, a pair of forming dies slidably mounted on the base is actuated by other cams on the actuating member to bend the parallel side Walls of the U-shaped part around the arbor to form a box-like article of rectangular cross section during another portion of the downward movement of the ram. In response to the upward movement of the ram the cams retract the forming dies and return the movable arbor sections to their collapsed position, permitting the box-like part to be readily removed therefrom.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof, in which:

Fig. l is a plan sectional view of the lower portion of the article forming device showing the collapsible arbor in its collapsed position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional View of the device taken along line 2-2 of Fig. l showing the parts in operative position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical transverse sectional States Patent M" 2,843,175 v Patented July 15, 1958 ECS view of the device taken along line 33 of Fig. l showing the parts in operative position;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the partially formed article;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the device taken along line 5 5 of Fig. 2 showing the parts in operative position to form the article; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the device taken along line 6 6 of Fig. 2.

The present device is designed to support a preformed U-shaped sheet metal part 10 (Fig. 4) which has a flat bottom wall 12 and two parallel flat side wallsV or panels 13, 14, and to bend the side panels along the lines 15 through right angles with the offset edge portion 17 of the side panel 13 disposed in overlapping relation to the edge portion of the other panel to provide side walls 18 and a top wall 19. The box-like article thus formed also has an end wall 20 and is used as a cover for enclosing a portion of a relay.

The-device for forming the part 10 into box section comprises a holder 26 which has a recessed seat 27 for receiving the U-shaped part 10 thereon as shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, and 5. The holder 26 has a handle 28 and is slidably mounted on a plate 29 in guideways 30 for movement from a retracted or loading position shown in Fig. l to a forward or operative position shown in Fig. 2 for positioning the U-shaped part 10 about a composite collapsible arbor 33. The plate 29 is xed to a base or die shoe 31 which is secured to a bolster 32 of a press.

The composite arbor 33 comprises a stationary section 34 and a pair of movable sections 35-35 disposed on opposite Vsides of the'stationary section. The arbor sections 34 and 35 are in the form of elongated bars of rectangular cross section which have enlarged stepped endv portions 36 and 37 (Fig. 2), the former of which rest on the plate 29 and the latter of which are supported on the base 31. A U-shaped bracket 42, secured to the base 39 by screws 43, tits over a portion of the arbor sections 34, 35, and prevents vertical displacement thereof. The stationary die arbor section 34, which terminates adjacent the bracket 42, is secured to the base 31 by a screw 45 which passes through the bracket 42 and the arbor section 34 and is threaded into the base 39 and-by a pair of dowels 46 (Figs. l and 2). The movable arbor sections 35 are mounted for oscillating movement about vertical pivot pins 48 secured in the bracket 42 and the base 31 and these arbor sections have end portions 511 extending rearwardly beyond the bracket V42. The forward end of the movable arbor sections 35 are slightly tapered vas viewed from above to permit movement thereof to and from a normal collapsed position shown in full lines in Fig. l and an expanded position indicated in dotted lines therein. In their expanded position the arbor sections constitute a core or form of a predetermined size and rectangular cross section about which the upper portions of the panels 13, 14 of the U-shaped part may be bent.

The movable arbor sections are adapted to be moved from one position to another and held in said positions by a plurality of cams 52, 53, and 54 which engage the end portions 5t) of the movable arbor sections and are secured to a vertically reciprocable supporting plate or punch holder 55 for movement therewith. The plate 55 is guided for vertical movement on guide pins 56 secured to the base 31 and is secured to a ram 61 of the press for reciprocation therewith toward and away from the base 31. The cam 53 which is disposed between the projecting ends of the movable arbor sections 35, 35 has straight flat surfaces 63 engageable with the inner side faces of the end portions 50 for limiting the movement of the movable sections to their expanded position, and the cam 53 has inclined surfaces 64 for camming the movable arbor sections to their collapsed position and have surfaces for maintaining them in said collapsed position.

The cams 52 and 54 are engageable with the outer lateral surfaces of the projecting ends 50 of the movable arbor sections and have surfaces 67 for limiting the oscillatable movement of the movable arbor sections to their collapsed positions and have inclined cam surfaces 68 for effecting the movement of the arbor sections to their expanded position and have surfaces 69 for maintaining the arbor sections in their expanded position. Thus, with the ram 61 and the cams 52, 53, and 54 in their upward position the arbor sections 35 are in their collapsed position, and when the ram and the cams are in their lower positions the arbor sections 35 are in their expanded positions. Thus, in response to the movement of the ram 61 and the cams 52, 53, and 54 to their upward position, the cams actuate the movable arbor sections 35 to and maintain them in their collapsed position and in response to downward movement of the ram 61 the cams actuate the movable arbor sections 35 and maintain them in their expanded position. A bar 70 secured to the rear face of the base 31 by screws 71 (Figs. l, 2, and 6) has slots 72 for slidably receiving the cams 52, 53, and 54 therein and preventing the lateral flexing and displacement of the lower portions thereof.

Auxiliary means are provided for locking the movable arbor sections in their expanded position which comprises a pair of locking elements or pins 73-73 which are carried by the upper supporting plate 55 and fit in notches 75 and 76 in the stationary and movable arbor sections. The locking elements 73 are rectangular in horizontal cross section and are slightly tapered as viewed from the front with the at faces 77 and 78 thereof engageable with the stationary and the movable arbor sections in the notches 75 and 76 (Fig. 5) to prevent movement of the movable arbor sections 35 toward their collapsed position during the operation of bending the U-shaped part 10 around the arbor. The recesses 75, 76 and the locking elements 73 are spaced from the `forward end of the arbor sections a distance sufficient to provide clearance for the movement of the panels 14 of the part 10 during the bending operation. The locking elements 73 have upwardly extending tubular shanks `80 which are slidably mounted in bores 81 of a block 82 fixed to the upper supporting plate 55 and are urged downwardly by springs S3. Flanges 84 on the upper end of the tubular Shanks engage shoulders 85 in the counterbored portions of the bracket 82 to limit the downward movement thereof when the ram 61 is in its upper position and shoulders S6 on the lower portions of the shanks 80 engage the upper surfaces of the arbor sections 34, 35 to vertically position the locking elements 73 relative to the arbor when the ram is in its lower position. Keys 87 engaging flat sides 88 of the tubular shanks 80 retain the locking elements 73 against rotation and in alignment with the recesses 75, 76 of the arbor sections. The locking elements 73 are supported on the upper supporting plate 55 in a position to engage the recesses 75 and 76 of the arbor sections immediately after the movable arbor sections have been actuated to their expanded position.

The forward ends of the stationary and movable arbor sections are horizontally slotted as at 90 to receive a key 91 which is secured to the stationary die section 34 slidable in the slots in the movable arbor sections and serves to prevent vertical displacement of the sections relative to each other.

A pair of bending dies 92 and 93 are mounted on the base 39 `for reciprocable movement in guides 94 for bending the panels 14 of the article 10 about the arbor 33. Two pair of cams 95 and 96 are secured to the upper supporting plate 55 and cooperate with cam slots 97 and 98 in the dies 92 and 93, respectively, to reciprocate the slides to and from an inoperative position (Figs. l and 3) and an operative position (Fig. 5). The cams 95 and 96 are so shaped as to actuate the bending die 93 in advance of the die 92 to effect the bending of the panel 14 in advance of the panel 13 so as to effect the proper overlapping of the end portion 17. Thus, in response to actuation of the dies 92 and 93 the panels 13 and 14 are bent around the arbor through 90 to form the part into a box section with the result that the movable arbor sections 35 are so tightly gripped by the part it? at the corners thereof that it is diicult to remove the part from the arbor with the arbor in its expanded position. In response to the upward movement of the ram and the cams, the bending dies 92 and 93 are moved to their retracted position after which the cams 52, 53, and 54 actuate the movable arbor sections 35 to their collapsed position to forceably disengage them from locking engagement with the part 10, whereby the operator may retract the holder 26 and to withdraw the article to its loading position where it may be removed from the holder.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of this invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

l. In a device for bending the walls of a partially formed part to form a box-like article, the combination of a pair of relatively reciprocable members, a pair of arbor sections pivotally mounted on one of the members for oscillatable movement from a normal collapsed position to an expanded position to provide an arbor of a rectangular shape about which the walls of said part are bent to form a box section, a holder movably mounted on said one member for positioning the part about the arbor, a pair of forming elements mounted on said one member for bending the side walls about the arbor, cam means on said other member for actuating said arbor Vsections to expanded position in response to movement of said member in one direction and for moving said arbor sections to collapsed position in response to movement of the other member in the opposite direction,

l means on said other member for actuating said formi arbor sections to collapsed position to release the arbor sections from binding engagement with the part.

2. In a device for bending the side walls of a partially formed part to form a box-like article, a base, a composite expandable arbor having a center section xedly mounted on said base, and a pair of movable sections disposed on opposite sides of said center section and pivotally mounted on said base for movement relative to each other and said center section from a normal collapsed position to an expanded position to provide an arbor of rectangular shape about which the walls of the part are bent to form a box section, a holder for said part movable on said base to an operative position for positioning the part about the arbor, a pair of dies slidably mounted on said base for bending the side walls of said part about said arbor, a member mounted lfor reciprocable movement toward and from said base, cam means on said member operable for actuating said movable arbor sections to expanded position and for advancing said dies to bend the side walls of the part about said arbor in response to movement of said member toward said base and for retracting said dies and for returning said movable arbor sections to collapsed position in response to movement of said member from said base, and locking elements yieldably mounted on said member and insertable between said center section and said movable sections of said arbor for locking said movable sections in expanded position while the said walls of the part are being bent therearound.

3. In a device for bending a U-shaped part into a box section, the combination of a support, a pair of substantially straight arbor elements mounted on the support for pivotal movement about parallel axes disposed intermediate the ends of the elements, said arbor elements having end portions on one side of the axes and arbor forming portions on the other side of the axes, a member mounted for movement toward and from said support, cam means on said member having cam slots for receiving said end portions and actuating the arbor elements to a predetermined expanded position and` to a collapsed position in response to movement of said member toward and from the support and for holding said arbor elements in said expanded and said collapsed positions, means on said support for holding a U-shaped part about the arbor elements, a pair of bending dies slidably mounted on said support, and cam means on said member for actuating the bending dies in timed relation to the movement of the arbor elements to elect the bending of portions of the part about the arbor elements into overlapping relation to each other while the arbor elements are in said expanded position.

4. In a device for forming a box-like article from a partially formed sheet metal part, the combination of a support, a pair of substantially straight arbor elements mounted on the support for pivotal movement about parallel axes disposed intermediate the ends of the elements, said arbor elements having end portions on one side of the axes and arbor forming portions on the other side of the axes, a member mounted for movement toward and from said support, cam means on said member for engaging said end portions of the arbor elements for actuating the -arbor elements to a predetermined expanded position and to a collapsed position in response to movement of said member toward and from the support, means on said support for holding the partially formed part about the arbor sections, a pair of bending dies slidably mounted on said support, cam means on said member for actuating the bending dies in timed relation to the movement of the arbor elements to eiect the bending of the part about the arbor elements while the arbor elements are in said expanded position, and means yieldably mounted on said member for engaging the arbor elements on said other side of the axes and locking them in expanded position while the part is being bent therearound.

5. In a device for bending a partially formed part into a box section, the combination of a support, a pair of movable substantially straight arbor elements mounted on the support in laterally spaced relation to each other for oscillation about parallel axes disposed intermediate the ends of the elements, said arbor elements having end portions on one side of the axes and arbor forming portions on the other side of the axes, a substantially straight stationary arbor element xedly mounted on the support between the movable arbor elements, a member mounted for movement toward and from said support, cam means on said member engaging said end portions of the arbor elements for actuating the movable arbor elements to a predetermined expanded position and to a collapsed position in response to movement of said member tov ward and from said support, a pair of bending dies slidably mounted on said support, cam means on said member for actuating the bending dies in timed relation to the movement of the arbor elements to eiect the bending of the part about the movable arbor elements while they are in said expanded position, and a pair of locking elements yieldably mounted on said member and movable thereby between the stationary and the movable arbor elements to lock the movable arbor elementsin expanded position while the part is being bent therearound.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 505,541 Strong Sept. 26, 1893 779,096 Nazel Ian. 3, 1905 1,129,625 Bauroth Feb. 23, 1915 1,365,031 Friedman Jan. 11, 1921 1,443,737 Gibson Jan. 30, 1923 1,818,332 Johnson Aug. 11, 1931 1,948,918 Ireland Feb. 27, 1934 2,352,095 Grotnes Iune 20, 1944 2,442,908 Sirp June 8, 1948 2,681,027 Boll June 15, 1954 

